Maestra Suzanne de la Ferté

Suzanne de la Ferté is an early 16th century noblewoman born in the barony of La Ferté near Evreux, France. Growing up in the privileged la Ferté family, she was quite the dreamer who loved to read and draw. As with other young women of her class, she was taught the skills necessary to run an estate. Of these skills, she enjoyed the most the time spent with the family cook - choosing appropriate menus and even taking interest in the workings of the kitchen staff. Her parents made sure she had a thorough grounding in "her letters" - reading, writing, literature, philosophy, history, religion, and some math. She was also expected to excel at music and painting, how to sew a fine seam, as well as to dance and make merry.

Suzanne was married early to an older gentleman in order to consolidate her father's landholdings. Her husband passed away after they had only been married a few years, leaving Suzanne with a baby daughter.

It was about this time that her brother, who lived on the family's large estate just outside Monaco, asked her to come and manage his household (since his wife had just died in childbirth). Monaco and the House of Grimaldi are allied with almost every power in the region - the geographical position of the city/state leaves it ideally placed to either help or hinder the repeated and largely unsuccessful attempts by the kings of France to conquer Italy. Machiavelli himself was in Monaco in the early 16th century to sign a treaty on behalf of Florence and made infrequent visits to the estate of Suzanne's brother.

In 1535, her brother introduced her to the dashing Scots nobleman who was also a merchant, Angus de Botha. Angus received permission from Suzanne's brother to court her and the couple soon fell madly in love. Angus, with his fleet of ships, trades heavily with the nearby Italian cities of Genova (Genoa), Pisa, and Firenze (Florence). He sometimes brings Suzanne things (gowns, fabric, paper, and paints) from as far away as Venezia (Venice).

One of Suzanne's favorite activities is planning feasts to entertain her husband's associates. She loves making sure the ambiance is just right. She makes sure to obtain all of the best performers (bards, thespians, dancers, and musicians) so that her multi-course dinners are a feast for all of the senses.